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| Water levels changes in the High Plains aquifer from 2013-2018 (KGS map; click the image to enlarge it) |
While the High Plains aquifer is still losing water overall, a new study shows that the decline is slowing down in that state, thanks to good rains and better practices among farmers.
Every January the Kansas Geological Survey and the Kansas Department of Agriculture's Division of Water Resources measure water levels in 1,400 wells in western and central Kansas. Those wells draw water from the Ogallala, Equus Beds and Great Bend Prairie aquifers. This January's survey showed that groundwater levels rose slightly or almost broke even in 2017, Amy Bickel reports for the High Plains Journal.
The Ogallala, which covers eight states, is still nearly depleted in some places though. "Groundwater levels in southwest Kansas, where the Ogallala is the richest, have fallen an average 40 feet since 1996 when the KGS took over monitoring the wells. Some areas have had more significant declines," Bickel reports.
Some farmers have responded to the threat by using soil sensors and other tech to irrigate their crops more efficiently. Kansas farmer Tim Franklin told Bickel that using soil moisture probes has benefited his farm. He's had two good harvests and the water level in his family well, which had declined for several years, rose 1.29 feet. "What we are doing might not work for everyone," he said. But "if we can all do a little bit, it adds up."
from The Rural Blog http://ift.tt/2Fcmpaa High Plains aquifer declines slow in Kansas, thanks to rains and better practices - Entrepreneur Generations
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